Nichelle Nichols is putting a bow on her run doing convention appearances, and the fans and fellow Star Trek franchise stars let her know how loved and appreciated she is at her very last Comic-Con gig. This past weekend, Nichols was at the Los Angeles Comic-Con where she was featured as part of a three-day farewell celebration to honor the actress and her place in television history. With her Star Trek role as Nyota Uhura, Nichols broke barriers for Black female characters on American television, which includes a then-controversial interracial kiss with co-star William Shatner.
Unfortunately, Nichols’ health struggles have been increasing. She suffers from dementia and is now in the center of a conservatorship battle between her son, Kyle Johnson, and her former manager, Gilbert Bell. Because these kinds of public convention appearances are getting more difficult to attend for the soon-to-be 89-year-old, she’s now retired from Comic-Con and other fan conventions.
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Johnson said of his mother, “A life well-lived is reward enough, every day, and my mother’s certainly had a life well lived in many respects. This is an exceptional recognition, and I’m of course very proud of her for all that she’s done, and the value and the meaning of her work. Not just as an actress, but very real and important work that she inspired and enabled people to understand.”
At LACC, Nichelle Nichols spent the weekend signing autographs, posing with fans for photos, and even participated in an early birthday celebration; she turns 89 on Dec. 28. At one point, Nichols was even seen “briefly but joyfully” kicking up her heels and dancing, as reported by People. The veteran actress was also the subject of multiple tribute panels and was said to be all smiles throughout, blowing kisses and flashing the Vulcan salute to the many fans wishing her well.
A video tribute was also shown at LACC featuring Star Trek: Discovery lead Sonequa Martin-Green speaking about the ways in which she was personally inspired by Nichols. Martin-Green, who plays the first Black female starship captain in a leading role in a Star Trek show, also shared the story of first meeting Nichols at the premiere of Discovery. The actress explained, “I remember the great ball of nervousness that was in my stomach as I was approaching her, but she whispered to me in my ear so delicately she said ‘Take care. It’s yours now.’ And I melted. And I needed that. I needed that blessing. She made me feel welcomed. She made me feel justified and she made me feel empowered.”
The Discovery star also recounted the famous story about when Nichelle Nichols was considering leaving Star Trek to work on Broadway. During that time, the actress just happened to run into Dr. Martin Luther King, who was a fan of Nichols and her Star Trek character. King explained to Nichols how important her role really as the representation meant a lot to Black viewers around the nation.
“Nichelle’s legacy can be described as that of sacrificial, heroic contribution,” said Martin-Green. “She decided to stay, and ultimately devoted her entire self to the progression of Black people, people of color and women. And she gave everything. She gave her time, her energy. She gave her intelligence, her wisdom, her leadership, and her heart for the betterment of the world and the future. I am only here because of her. I also owe it to Nichelle to continue her legacy of heroism through sacrifice. And that is what she has taught me. That is how her words have been reverberating in my heart here lately, is making that choice to step away from self-interest, and instead devote yourself to the interests of others.”
Congratulations to Nichelle Nichols for a wonderful career. Her retirement is well-deserved. Some details of this story come to us from People.
